1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to safety restraint assemblies. Specifically, the present invention relates to buckle assemblies for releasably securing an individual such as an infant, or the like to a device such as a car seat, stroller or the like.
2. The Prior Art
Buckle assemblies, or harnesses, are well known in the art and are often utilized to secure an individual such as an infant to a variety of devices such as a car seat, stroller or the like. Traditionally, buckle assemblies include a two-piece buckle having a single tongue and a single socket to releasably join ends of a belt about the occupant. In addition, it has been found desirable, particularly when the occupant is an infant, to provide buckle assemblies which have multiple tongues to secure a plurality of belts together at a single junction or socket.
One such prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,931 to Anscher. Anscher discloses a three-piece buckle having a socket member and two plug members, wherein each plug member has a resilient tongue which defines an aperture or other opening disposed at a distal end thereof. The socket member includes a lug or pin which is adapted to fit into the aperture to lock the plug member into the socket member. Further, Anscher discloses including a hinged plate or button in a top face of the socket which can be depressed to force the resilient tongue of the plug member away from the pin to release the aperture so as to disengage the buckle assembly.
Although the device to Anscher may have advanced the art, devices formed in accordance with the teaching of Anscher also includes several drawbacks as well. One drawback found in such devices is that they often include a single hinged plate or button on a top face of the socket. Even though a single hinged plate or button may be conveniently actuated by a caregiver or other individual operating the buckle assembly, the single hinged plate may also be unintentionally actuated by the infant or inadvertently actuated by unintentionally impacting an object. Another drawback found in devices constructed in accordance with Anscher is that Anscher suggests two plugs which are oppositely disposed in along a longitudinal direction of the socket such that belts or the like which are secured to the buckle extend in a horizontal direction about the midsection of the infant. However, it has been found that such an orientation of the belts may not adequately secure an infant who often lacks the strength to support oneself. Alternatively directing the belts upward at an angle in devices such as Anscher often results in unevenly tensioning the belts thereby causing the belts to become jammed.
Other three-piece buckles have been suggested to overcome some of the above disclosed disadvantages. One such device is the buckle assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,097 to Woellert et al. Woellert et al. generally discloses a dual tongue buckle which includes a single latch member and a single ejection member housed within the socket, or buckle main body. Each of the tongues include an angled slot for receiving a belt. The device to Woellert et al. may be assembled by advancing each tongue member into the socket individually. Alternatively, the tongues are shaped to fit adjacent one another such that the tongues may be inserted within the socket together.
Although devices formed in accordance with Woellert et al. may advance the art, such devices also have several drawbacks as well. First, Woellert et al. once again includes a single button which simultaneously releases both tongues. As disclosed previously, buckle assemblies which allow for the tongues to be ejected through articulation of a single button substantially increase the likelihood that the buckle assembly is inadvertently actuated thereby inadvertently or unintentionally ejecting the tongues from the socket. Further, the buckle assembly to Anscher includes a plurality of separate parts thereby increasing the manufacturing and assembly costs of such buckles as well as increasing the opportunity for mechanical failure.
Lastly, other devices have been suggested which include a buckle assembly having a pair of tongues wherein the tongues may be registered together before insertion thereby allowing for the tongues to be simultaneously inserted as a single element when such is desirable. One such device of the above mentioned character is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,933 to Wiseman et al. Wiseman suggests a buckle assembly having projections on one of the tongues which are receivable in apertures on the other tongue. Although such devices enhances the ability of the caregiver to maintain the tongues in a proper orientation when it is desirable to simultaneously insert both tongues, such a device would substantially impair the ability of the tongues to be inserted individually when doing so is desirable.
In light of the above, one skilled in the art can best appreciate that several advancements are still desirable. Specifically, it would be desirable to have a buckle assembly which allows the each tongue to be secured within the socket individually or simultaneously together at the option of the caregiver. Secondly, it would be desirable to have a buckle assembly which includes a ejection mechanism which substantially prevents inadvertent and unintentional actuation. Thirdly, it would be desirable to have a buckle assembly which is designed to adequately secure an infant or other similar occupant. Lastly, it would be further desirable to have a device which operates effectively while also reducing the overall number of parts thereby minimizing manufacturing and assembly costs as well as minimizing the opportunity for part failure.